Narrator's P.O.V
Ariel looked at the man above him, finally realizing that nothing there was real, at least not physically. It made sense. He wasn't Marcos. Not by a long shot! It was all just a dream. He tried to push the Asian man—or whatever that thing was—away, but he was weak. Normally, he was already heavier and stronger. Under those circumstances then... it would be practically impossible to fight back. Chen noticed what Ariel was trying to do and seemed to get annoyed. He looked furious!
"I told you not to listen to him!" he grunted angrily. His expression made Ariel feel a little scared, even knowing it was just a dream.
"Get off me," he ordered, but the other only cackled. His laugh was nowhere near like Marcos's. It sounded evil. He was wicked.
"Do you think you can give orders, Ariel? I'm the one who gives the orders here!" His voice echoed strangely, as if it were inside the curly-haired boy's head, and that somehow hurt him physically.
"Marcos" slid his hands down Ariel's body, only stopping when his fingers circled his entrance. He shoved two fingers inside at once, which made the smaller boy moan loudly, but in pain. He tried hard to push Chen away, but it was in vain. He wasn't strong enough. He couldn't resist, especially when the other grabbed his neck and squeezed hard.
Really hard...
He was suffocating him too much. He couldn't breathe anymore. Ariel writhed and thrashed about, trying at all costs to remove the other's arm and end the grip on his neck, but nothing seemed to work. That thing was too strong...
"You're not getting away from me, Ariel. You won't!" His voice sounded deep in an almost animalistic way.
"L-let... let me g-go... p-please..." he begged.
"You are mine." His voice overflowed with scorn.
He couldn't take it anymore.
Ariel looked at the creature one last time. His chest was flooded with a colossal dread, incompatible with any earthly fear. He didn't understand what that was, but mentally he begged for anyone who could hear him to somehow rescue him. Oxygen was no longer reaching his lungs. And then, his consciousness slowly began to fade...
(...)
The boy opened his eyes in desperation, gasping for air. Ariel practically jumped as he sat up in bed, thrashing around trying to free himself from whatever was strangling him. This time he remembered. This time, the whole dream, and especially that thing, were vivid in his mind.
He could swear he still felt the grip suffocating him without the slightest mercy. The boy felt so much despair that he hadn't even realized he was no longer trapped in that place. Marcos held him so he wouldn't end up hurting himself, calling his name several times to try and make him notice that he was already awake and finally okay.
"Hey, Ariel, calm down! It's okay! I'm here with you, and it's me. I swear it's me!" he said, distressed. Marcos felt his chest tighten so much seeing Ariel like that that he couldn't hold back his tears.
His breathing was heavy because he could finally breathe freely. Slowly he noticed that he was no longer trapped and was just being held by Marcos in a way that didn't hurt him. He looked into the Asian man's eyes and was met with a worried gaze, only then realizing that this was his Marcos. The real Marcos!
Ariel hugged him tightly, crying compulsively out of relief that he was there with him and not with the evil version from his dream that hurt him and almost killed him. Unlike the other time, he remembered everything, including the sensation of pain and fear he felt. It was so intense he couldn't explain it, and it terrified him. His crying was because of that. He was scared!
Chen just stayed silent and let the curly-haired boy cry. Even in silence, he did everything to comfort him, and would stay there for as long as necessary. He was confused. Very. However, even though he was confused, that didn't mean he wasn't thinking about what he would do next. He had an idea of what was happening and was going to put an end to it once and for all!
"We're going to take care of this tomorrow, Ari. You can rest easy. I'm here and I'm going to take care of you. I promise I'll protect you!" he assured. He didn't expect Ariel to answer, but he hoped he knew he was safe.
He was safe!